Pistachio Popsicle or kulfi with white chocolate

Pistachio Popsicle or kulfi with white chocolate is the best way to cool off this summer. Creamy, luscious and rich Indian popsicles or kulfi are studded with super healthy chia seeds on top, flavored through with white chocolate and rose water for a truly exotic flavor. Ready in a matter of minutes and with basic ingredients, these Pistachio Popsicle or kulfi with white chocolate will be loved by everyone in your family.

‘Summer afternoon—summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.’ – Henry James

I don’t know about you but to me, like Henry James, summer afternoon feels like one of the most beautiful phrases in the English language. I sometimes wonder if it is the beauty of the dazzling golden halo that the afternoon casts over everything that makes it magical? Or if it is the way in which summer afternoons seem to be empowered with the power to stop life, to bring everything to a slow, lazy, almost sensuous halt. Or is it the laughter of D enjoying her summer vacation with her friends that makes it so much more meaningful than other time of the year? I don’t know. But ever since I was a kid summer afternoons have been special. We used to play in our family mango orchard all afternoon with cousins, regaling each other with stories, watching more braver kids jump their way into the cool pools,eating more mangoes and jack fruits than we could keep a count of, the discarded skins and stone lying in a mound on the green grass of the orchard. Summer afternoons meant having a long siesta listening to stories by granny and waking up to the tring tring cycle bells of the neighborhood kulfi wala.

As soon as we heard that sound, all thought of sleep went out the window and we rushed to the front gate to get kulfi! That first much coveted lick of the creamy, luscious saffron scented kulfi was the best part of Indian summers. No second thoughts. If you haven’t had kulfi yet, please do yourself a favour and grab some from your nearest good quality Indian restaurant. Just like lassi is a much loved and adored summer obsession of India, so are kulfi. In fact, if you ask me, personally kulfi is akin to religion for me. As much as I love sorbets and gelato, if I had to choose only one, I would invariably go for the creamy and luscious kulfi (fudge-sicles)

Usually kulfi is found in a few particular flavors, the most loved ones being malai ( plain cream), kesar (saafron), badaam (almond) and pista (pistachio). Invariably I love the malai or plain cream ones but this time I had a big bag of pistachios I had received as gift. And then there was Thandai masala still left after drinking so much thandai sherbatand making thesethandai tarts with coconut fudge for the Holi party. So simple solution, this Pistachio Popsicle or kulfi with white chocolate.

Making these Pistachio Popsicle or kulfi with white chocolate is pretty easy and straight forward. A few basic pantry staples can make this creamy fudegsicles ready for you and your family to enjoy in no time at all. It takes barely 30 minutes and with my twists on the classic Pistachio Popsicle or kulfi with white chocolate, these popsicles or kulfi are even going to be epic to serve guests for a breezy summer soiree!

Also, if you love Indian platters or thaali like we do, these Pistachio Popsicle or kulfi with white chocolate make a pretty perfect sweet ending, especially in the hot summer afternoons when no one wants to have any dessert that is too cloying or sweet. The addition of rose water, cardamom (staples in Indian cooking as well as Persian cuisine by the way ) make this Pistachio Popsicle or kulfi with white chocolate a treat! I added some white chocolate bits to it to add unexpected pops of crunch. Also, since i am basically a chia addict, I went ahead and added some chia to the kulfi on the outside too. Looks so so pretty and tastes much better. In fact, the added thandai masala in these Pistachio Popsicle or kulfi with white chocolate make it heady and so fragrant but I have kept everything really subtle since I dont like my food to smell like a perfumery.

So go ahead and make these Pistachio Popsicle or kulfi with white chocolate this summer. Tips to savor these: Eat your fill of the best vegetarian North Indian thaalifor lunch, lie back on the couch, switch on the AC on full blast and break out those kulfi moulds. Every lick and bite of these luscious Pistachio Popsicle or kulfi with white chocolate will make you fall in love with my favorite time of the year otherwise known as ‘summer afternoon’ in simple plebeian language.

Xo,

S.

5 from 3 votes

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Pistachio Popsicle or kulfi with white chocolate

A luscious and fragrant popsicle or kulfi that is bound to make your summer afternoons your favorite time of the day. Studded through with white chocolate and chia seeds, these pistachios popsicles are a must make this summer!

Course
Dessert

Cuisine
Indian

Prep Time10minutes

Cook Time20minutes

Total Time30minutes

Servings4

AuthorLapetitchef.

Ingredients

200gmspistachioshelled

600mlwhole fat milk

500mlcondensed milkor evaporated milk

2tsprice flour

250gmssugar

4-5tspthandai masala

1tsprose water

3-4green cardamom pods

few bits of white chocolate

2tbspchia seeds

Instructions

Grind or Pulse the pistachios and sugar in a mixer until fine. Pour the milk and the condensed milk into a saucepan, add some pounded cardamom into it and bring to the boil.

Meanwhile, mix the riceflour with 1 tbsp of the whole milk to make a smooth paste.

Now add the pistachio powder, thandai masala, rose water and simmer for 10 mins. Now add the rice flour slurry into the mixture and simmer for 5-6 minutes or until the mixture has thickened and coats the back of a spoon (it will continue to thicken as it cools). Let it cool down a bit. Once cool, add the white chocolate bits.

Pour into an air tight bowl and then chill in the fridge until cold. If you have an ice cream machine churn it following the manufacturer’s instructions.

If you don’t have an ice cream machine, transfer to a freezer- proof container, pop in the freezer for 4 hrs or until frozen and stir every hour to break up any ice crystals. I do this atleast 4 times to make sure the kulfi is really creamy. Once done, pour into moulds (if desired), sprinkle the tops with chia seeds and stick in a popsicle stick all the way through.

Freeze overnight or at least 8 hours.

Just before serving sprinkle with crushed pistachios, rose petals and more chia if desired.

I couldn’t agree more with you – Henry James got it right about summer afternoons! Especially when they are filled with these kulfi bars! White chocolate and pistachio is such a delightful combo – heavenly when they are in kulfi!